Gabba $2.7bn redevelopment full-steam ahead despite senate inquiry calls for ‘urgent review’
The Palaszczuk government will forge ahead with plans to splash $2.7bn to redevelop the Gabba despite recommendations it be “urgently reviewed”.
Brisbane Olympics 2032
Don't miss out on the headlines from Brisbane Olympics 2032. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The Palaszczuk government will forge ahead with plans to splash $2.7 billion to redevelop the Gabba despite a Senate inquiry recommending the decision be “urgently reviewed”.
An interim report examining preparations for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games suggested the organising authority consider other sites and venues.
The findings from the inquiry, chaired by LNP Senator Matthew Canavan, recommended the range of governments and bodies involved in the planning of Brisbane 2032 “urgently review the decision to host athletics events at the Gabba stadium”.
“The review should consider the feasibility of alternative options, including using existing infrastructure, and work to find a solution that is acceptable to these communities,” the interim report said.
But Sport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe dismissed the interim report, which he said contained factual errors and provided no new insight into the delivery of the Games.
The report includes suggestions for alternative options such as hosting athletics at “Carrara at Queensland Sport and Athletic Centre (QSAC), 10 kilometres from the city”.
But the Carrara Stadium is based on the Gold Coast, which is more than 70km from Brisbane’s CBD.
“I didn’t learn massively new things through the process but we welcome all those people who are interested in making sure that the Brisbane 2032 Games are delivering great things for Queensland,” Mr Hinchliffe said.
“When you look at the interim report and you read it carefully and you note the factual errors that are in it, I trust that some of those are probably typos or rushed to get the interim report out in a certain time frame — I’m not sure what that was.
“I didn’t learn anything greatly new out of this report.”
Mr Hinchliffe said the government had “moved completely away” from a proposal to construct a stadium in Albion and was committed redevelop the Gabba.
“The 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games represent a transformational opportunity for Queensland, much bigger and much more extraordinary in terms of the transformation than anything we’ve seen or experienced before,” he said.
“We’ve got to grasp that opportunity and make sure that it delivers well beyond the event and take the vision to see what is not only a stadium redevelopment, but is a precinct redevelopment of the whole the Gabba area.
“The Gabba is the way in which we will deliver a world class experience not just for the Games but for Queensland and for Brisbane for decades to come.”
‘55,000 seats, seriously? How about 85,000 so it lasts?’
The Albion Olympic Park team has put forward a proposal to build a 45,000 to 55,000 seat stadium with a simple architecture to save money, but not everyone likes the idea. WHAT YOU SAID
From Las Vegas to Bris Vegas, bed tax a pretty good idea
If Queensland is to have any chance of reducing state debt and delivering necessary services, it must look at different ways of raising revenue, writes the editor.